Quynh Tran (front left) waits to take the ferry in Oakland to work in San Francisco, and husband Anthony Nguyen makes plans for commuting to the Presidio and dropping off daughter Quynh-Anh Nguyen at camp.

Jeanne Cartensen yells, "Go back to work," at strikers outside Oakland City Hall. "I ride BART every day, and these people make more ... than I do," she says.

Photo: Lacy Atkins, The Chronicle

Jeanne Cartensen yells, "Go back to work," at strikers outside...

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Oakland's 12th Street BART Station sits empty after almost 2,400 workers from the Amalgamated Transit Union and Service Employees International Union went on strike.

Photo: Mike Kepka, The Chronicle

Oakland's 12th Street BART Station sits empty after almost 2,400...

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Member of Service Employees International Union Local 1021 block the street to traffic outside Frank Ogawa Plaza in Oakland on the first day of BART's strike.

Photo: Mike Kepka, The Chronicle

Member of Service Employees International Union Local 1021 block...

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Closed turnstiles at the Powell BART Station in downtown San Francisco early on Monday, July 1, 2013, the first day of the first BART strike since 1997. Roughly 400,000 thousand riders were stranded by the strike.

Photo: Will Kane, The Chronicle

Closed turnstiles at the Powell BART Station in downtown San...

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A. Nafchi walks down the line of cars waiting for passengers in the casual carpool lane during strikes against BART in Oakland, Calif. on July 1, 2013. It was Nafchi's first time using the carpool system.

Photo: Ian C. Bates, The Chronicle

A. Nafchi walks down the line of cars waiting for passengers in the...

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Joseph Monahan, center, argues with picketers while waiting for a bus commissioned by BART to San Francisco during strikes against BART outside of the West Oakland BART station in Oakland, Calif. on July 1, 2013.

Photo: Ian C. Bates, The Chronicle

Joseph Monahan, center, argues with picketers while waiting for a...

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Mimi Powe walks through the West Oakland BART station during strikes against BART in Oakland, Calif. on July 1, 2013.

Photo: Ian C. Bates, The Chronicle

Mimi Powe walks through the West Oakland BART station during...

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Joseph Monahan, center, argues with picketers while waiting for a bus commissioned by BART to San Francisco during strikes against BART outside of the West Oakland BART station in Oakland, Calif. on July 1, 2013.

Photo: Ian C. Bates, The Chronicle

Joseph Monahan, center, argues with picketers while waiting for a...

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People waiting in line for a bus commissioned by BART to transport them to San Francisco stare at picketers during strikes against BART outside of the West Oakland BART station in Oakland, Calif. on July 1, 2013.

Photo: Ian C. Bates, The Chronicle

People waiting in line for a bus commissioned by BART to transport...

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Picket signs sit against a tree facing the street during strikes against BART outside of the West Oakland BART station in Oakland, Calif. on July 1, 2013.

Photo: Ian C. Bates, The Chronicle

Picket signs sit against a tree facing the street during strikes...

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Picketers stand outside of the West Oakland BART station during strikes against BART in Oakland, Calif. on July 1, 2013.

Photo: Ian C. Bates, The Chronicle

Picketers stand outside of the West Oakland BART station during...

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Picketers stand outside of the West Oakland BART station during strikes against BART in Oakland, Calif. on July 1, 2013.

Photo: Ian C. Bates, The Chronicle

Picketers stand outside of the West Oakland BART station during...

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Picketers walk back in forth along full buses commissioned by BART to bring normal BART riders to San Francisco during strikes against BART outside of the West Oakland BART station in Oakland, Calif. on July 1, 2013.

Photo: Ian C. Bates, The Chronicle

Picketers walk back in forth along full buses commissioned by BART...

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Picketers stand outside of the West Oakland BART station during strikes against BART in Oakland, Calif. on July 1, 2013.

Photo: Ian C. Bates, The Chronicle

Picketers stand outside of the West Oakland BART station during...

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BART riders board a bus commissioned by BART to San Francisco during strikes against BART outside of the West Oakland BART station in Oakland, Calif. on July 1, 2013.

Photo: Ian C. Bates, The Chronicle

BART riders board a bus commissioned by BART to San Francisco...

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BART riders board a bus commissioned by BART to San Francisco during strikes against BART outside of the West Oakland BART station in Oakland, Calif. on July 1, 2013.

Photo: Ian C. Bates, The Chronicle

BART riders board a bus commissioned by BART to San Francisco...

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A picketer raises a sign during strikes against BART outside of the West Oakland BART station in Oakland, Calif. on July 1, 2013.

Photo: Ian C. Bates, The Chronicle

A picketer raises a sign during strikes against BART outside of the...

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BART riders board a bus commissioned by BART to San Francisco during strikes against BART outside of the West Oakland BART station in Oakland, Calif. on July 1, 2013.

Photo: Ian C. Bates, The Chronicle

BART riders board a bus commissioned by BART to San Francisco...

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Picket signs rest against a pole during strikes against BART outside of the West Oakland BART station in Oakland, Calif. on July 1, 2013.

Photo: Ian C. Bates, The Chronicle

Picket signs rest against a pole during strikes against BART...

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Strikers block a bus employed by BART carrying passengers to San Francisco outside of the West Oakland BART station during strikes against BART in Oakland, Calif. on July 1, 2013.

Photo: Ian C. Bates, The Chronicle

Strikers block a bus employed by BART carrying passengers to San...

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Leann Love gets into a vehicle in a casual carpool lane during strikes against BART in Oakland, Calif. on July 1, 2013. Love usually takes the BART system to work.

Photo: Ian C. Bates, The Chronicle

Leann Love gets into a vehicle in a casual carpool lane during...

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Cars line up waiting for passengers in a casual carpool lane during strikes against BART in Oakland, Calif. on July 1, 2013.

Photo: Ian C. Bates, The Chronicle

Cars line up waiting for passengers in a casual carpool lane during...

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The sign for the casual carpool lane during strikes against BART in Oakland, Calif. on July 1, 2013.

Photo: Ian C. Bates, The Chronicle

The sign for the casual carpool lane during strikes against BART in...

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Daniel Montz gets into a vehicle thats part of a casual carpool lane during strikes against BART in Oakland, Calif. on July 1, 2013.

Photo: Ian C. Bates, The Chronicle

Daniel Montz gets into a vehicle thats part of a casual carpool...

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Michelle Collin, center, cheers as passing cars honk during strikes against BART outside of the West Oakland BART station in Oakland, Calif. on July 1, 2013.

SEIU 1021 union members comprised of BART and City of Oakland workers on strike today at Frank Ogawa Plaza on Monday July 1, 2013 in Oakland, Calif. Workers say they are protesting unfair labor practices and demand greater investment in critical public services.

Photo: Mike Kepka, The Chronicle

SEIU 1021 union members comprised of BART and City of Oakland...

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Commuters coming off and lining up for the ferry service at Jack London Square as City of Oakland and BART workers officially go on strike in Oakland, Calif., on Monday, July 1, 2013.

Photo: Liz Hafalia, The Chronicle

Commuters coming off and lining up for the ferry service at Jack...

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Commuters coming off and lining up for the ferry service at Jack London Square as City of Oakland and BART workers officially go on strike in Oakland, Calif., on Monday, July 1, 2013.

Photo: Liz Hafalia, The Chronicle

Commuters coming off and lining up for the ferry service at Jack...

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Commuters lining up for the ferry service at Jack London Square as City of Oakland and BART workers officially go on strike in Oakland, Calif., on Monday, July 1, 2013.

Photo: Liz Hafalia, The Chronicle

Commuters lining up for the ferry service at Jack London Square as...

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Commuters line up for the ferry service at Jack London Square as City of Oakland and BART workers officially go on strike in Oakland, Calif., on Monday, July 1, 2013.

Photo: Liz Hafalia, The Chronicle

Commuters line up for the ferry service at Jack London Square as...

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People wait for BART commissioned buses to take them to San Francisco during strikes against BART outside of the West Oakland BART station in Oakland, Calif. on July 1, 2013.

Photo: Ian C. Bates, The Chronicle

People wait for BART commissioned buses to take them to San...

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A notice taped on the front door of city hall as City of Oakland and BART workers officially go on strike in Oakland, Calif., on Monday, July 1, 2013.

Photo: Liz Hafalia, The Chronicle

A notice taped on the front door of city hall as City of Oakland...

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A BART employee uses a counter to sort through bus passengers during strikes against BART outside of the West Oakland BART station in Oakland, Calif. on July 1, 2013.

Photo: Ian C. Bates, The Chronicle

A BART employee uses a counter to sort through bus passengers...

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Gates are closed today at the BART station on Broadway @ 14th streets as BART workers officially go on strike in Oakland, Calif., on Monday, July 1, 2013.

Photo: Liz Hafalia, The Chronicle

Gates are closed today at the BART station on Broadway @ 14th...

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Commuters line up for the ferry service at Jack London Square as City of Oakland and BART workers officially go on strike in Oakland, Calif., on Monday, July 1, 2013.

Photo: Liz Hafalia, The Chronicle

Commuters line up for the ferry service at Jack London Square as...

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Commuters read the ferry schedule as they line up for the service at Jack London Square as City of Oakland and BART workers officially go on strike in Oakland, Calif., on Monday, July 1, 2013.

Photo: Liz Hafalia, The Chronicle

Commuters read the ferry schedule as they line up for the service...

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Commuters line up for the ferry service at Jack London Square as City of Oakland and BART workers officially go on strike in Oakland, Calif., on Monday, July 1, 2013.

Photo: Liz Hafalia, The Chronicle

Commuters line up for the ferry service at Jack London Square as...

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A notice taped to the front door of city hall as City of Oakland and BART workers officially go on strike in Oakland, Calif., on Monday, July 1, 2013.

Photo: Liz Hafalia, The Chronicle

A notice taped to the front door of city hall as City of Oakland...

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Commuters line up for the ferry service at Jack London Square as City of Oakland and BART workers officially go on strike in Oakland, Calif., on Monday, July 1, 2013.

Photo: Liz Hafalia, The Chronicle

Commuters line up for the ferry service at Jack London Square as...

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Union members and supporters protest on Broadway St. as City of Oakland and BART workers officially go on strike in Oakland, Calif., on Monday, July 1, 2013.

Photo: Liz Hafalia, The Chronicle

Union members and supporters protest on Broadway St. as City of...

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Union members and supporters protest in front of city hall as City of Oakland and BART workers officially go on strike in Oakland, Calif., on Monday, July 1, 2013.

Photo: Liz Hafalia, The Chronicle

Union members and supporters protest in front of city hall as City...

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Carla Reed (right) leads union members in chants as City of Oakland and BART workers officially go on strike in Oakland, Calif., on Monday, July 1, 2013.

Photo: Liz Hafalia, The Chronicle

Carla Reed (right) leads union members in chants as City of Oakland...

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Union members protest in front of city hall as City of Oakland and BART workers officially go on strike in Oakland, Calif., on Monday, July 1, 2013.

Photo: Liz Hafalia, The Chronicle

Union members protest in front of city hall as City of Oakland and...

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Commuters use alternate transportation as the City of Oakland and BART workers officially go on strike in Oakland, Calif., on Monday, July 1, 2013.

Photo: Liz Hafalia, The Chronicle

Commuters use alternate transportation as the City of Oakland and...

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Mimi Powe stands outside of the West Oakland BART station picketing during strikes against BART in Oakland, Calif. on July 1, 2013.

Photo: Ian C. Bates, The Chronicle

Mimi Powe stands outside of the West Oakland BART station picketing...

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Jacob Rodriguez was able to get extra change to take the ferry at Jack London Square in Oakland, Calif., to go to his work at Fisherman's Wharf on Monday, July 1, 2013, as BART workers officially go on strike.

Photo: Liz Hafalia, The Chronicle

Jacob Rodriguez was able to get extra change to take the ferry at...

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Commuters lined up to board the ferry service heading to San Francisco at Jack London Square as City of Oakland and BART workers officially go on strike in Oakland, Calif., on Monday, July 1, 2013.

Photo: Liz Hafalia, The Chronicle

Commuters lined up to board the ferry service heading to San...

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Jacob Rodriguez (left) asks commuters for change as he didn't have enough money to take the ferry at Jack London Square in Oakland, Calif., to go to his work at Fisherman's Wharf on Monday, July 1, 2013, as he didn't know BART officially went on strike this morning.

Photo: Liz Hafalia, The Chronicle

Jacob Rodriguez (left) asks commuters for change as he didn't have...

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Commuters coming off and lining up for the ferry service at Jack London Square as City of Oakland and BART workers officially go on strike in Oakland, Calif., on Monday, July 1, 2013.

Photo: Liz Hafalia, The Chronicle

Commuters coming off and lining up for the ferry service at Jack...

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Commuters coming off and lining up for the ferry service at Jack London Square as City of Oakland and BART workers officially go on strike in Oakland, Calif., on Monday, July 1, 2013.

Photo: Liz Hafalia, The Chronicle

Commuters coming off and lining up for the ferry service at Jack...

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A man puts two fingers in the air gesturing for two more passengers to enter the car at carpool pickup stops on Beale Street while BART workers are on strike in San Francisco, Calif. on July 1, 2013.

Photo: Ian C. Bates, The Chronicle

A man puts two fingers in the air gesturing for two more passengers...

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Jacob Rodriguez was able to get extra change to take the ferry at Jack London Square in Oakland, Calif., to go to his work at Fisherman's Wharf on Monday, July 1, 2013, as BART workers officially go on strike.

Photo: Liz Hafalia, The Chronicle

Jacob Rodriguez was able to get extra change to take the ferry at...

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People wait at carpool pickup stops while others slowly get picked up on Beale Street while BART workers are on strike in San Francisco, Calif. on July 1, 2013.

Photo: Ian C. Bates, The Chronicle

People wait at carpool pickup stops while others slowly get picked...

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People wait at carpool pickup stops on Beale Street while BART workers are on strike in San Francisco, Calif. on July 1, 2013.

Photo: Ian C. Bates, The Chronicle

People wait at carpool pickup stops on Beale Street while BART...

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Free bicycle parking was offered by the city of Oakland to commuters at the Alameda ferry in Alameda, Calif., on Tuesday, July 2, 2013, to help in the commute as BART workers remains on strike.

Photo: Liz Hafalia, The Chronicle

Free bicycle parking was offered by the city of Oakland to...

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Commuters from Oakland and Alameda take the ferry to San Francisco in Alameda, Calif., on Tuesday, July 2, 2013, as BART remains on strike.

Photo: Liz Hafalia, The Chronicle

Commuters from Oakland and Alameda take the ferry to San Francisco...

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Zohreh Khodabandeh (in red) commuting from Walnut Creek waits for the shuttle service to San Francisco at West Oakland BART station as BART workers go on strike in Oakland, Calif., on Tuesday, July 2, 2013.

Photo: Liz Hafalia, The Chronicle

Zohreh Khodabandeh (in red) commuting from Walnut Creek waits for...

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Commuters wait in line for the Alameda ferry to arrive in Alameda, Calif., on Tuesday, July 2, 2013, as BART remains on strike.

Photo: Liz Hafalia, The Chronicle

Commuters wait in line for the Alameda ferry to arrive in Alameda,...

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David Truong (right) from Alameda stretches while waiting for the Alameda ferry to arrive in Alameda, Calif., on Tuesday, July 2, 2013, as BART remains on strike. A software engineer commuting to Zynga, David runs 2 miles to the ferry from home and 2.5 miles from the San Francisco ferry to work.

Photo: Liz Hafalia, The Chronicle

David Truong (right) from Alameda stretches while waiting for the...

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Union members protest at West Oakland BART station as BART workers remain on strike in Oakland, Calif., on Tuesday, July 2, 2013.

Photo: Liz Hafalia, The Chronicle

Union members protest at West Oakland BART station as BART workers...

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Commuters from the East Bay arrive by ferry at the Ferry Terminal in San Francisco, Calif. on Tuesday, July 2, 2013, on the second day of a strike by BART workers.

As commuters slogged about the Bay Area without BART on Monday, the transit agency and its striking unions both said they're eager to resume bargaining and end the rail system's first work stoppage in 16 years.

Yet nobody showed up at the bargaining table. And it's not clear when they will.

"Nothing is scheduled," said Alicia Trost, a BART spokeswoman. "We told the mediators we will meet, but we think the unions want to do their thing."

As commuters boarded buses, climbed into carpools, lined up for ferries and crept toward the Bay Bridge on a BART-less Monday morning, striking workers picketed at 15 BART stations as well as rail yards and maintenance shops. Some joined a noon rally with hundreds of striking Oakland city workers at Frank Ogawa Plaza.

Josie Mooney, a chief negotiator with SEIU Local 1021, which represents mechanics, maintenance workers and professional staff, said the unions had told the mediator of their willingness to meet but are still waiting for a response.

"The fact that they (BART officials) haven't picked up the phone and called us is telling," she said.

Economic impact

An extended strike, in addition to being a commuter headache, could also be costly, warned the Bay Area Council, a public policy group. The council estimates the strike costs at least $73 million a day in lost productivity - because employees are either caught in traffic or unable to make it to work.

"The Bay Area economy is suffering, along with hundreds of thousands of commuters," Jim Wunderman, president and CEO of the Bay Area Council, said in a statement. "The Bay Area Council and our 250 members implore the BART unions to end this damaging strike and return to the bargaining table, and we urge both sides to reach a fair and reasonable agreement."

Unlike its usual contract negotiations, BART and its unions failed to meet late into the night as the deadline neared. Sunday, when negotiations typically last into the early-morning hours of the following day, talks ended at 8:30 p.m. when the unions walked out, saying BART had declined to offer any new proposals.

When BART's unions last struck in 1997, for six days, both sides continued to meet to find a solution.

During that work stoppage, former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown intervened, forced both sides to start talking, then got them to return to the bargaining table, where unions won double-digit pay raises that the transit agency later regretted.

Brown again offered his assistance Monday. So did many other Bay Area politicians, said Mooney, who declined to name them.

"We're telling all of them to tell BART management to get us back to the table," she said.

Pay and pensions

BART representatives said the agency had doubled its salary offer - to an 8 percent raise over four years - but that the unions had reduced their proposal for a 23.2 percent raise by one-half percent. They said it was the unions' turn to make a proposal and criticized them for leaving the last-gasp bargaining.

Union negotiators say that BARTs increased salary offer is a ruse rather than a generous offer. Three percent of that increase is contingent on the transit agency achieving ambitious goals including ridership, revenue, sales taxes and reductions in the number of employees taking time off under the federal Family Medical Leave Act.

The unions have gone five years without a pay raise and four years ago agreed to a deal that gave the transit system, then facing a huge deficit, plunging ridership and sluggish sales tax revenue, $100 million in savings. Now, with the economy rebounding and BART carrying record ridership averaging 400,000 trips per weekday and generating an operating surplus, the workers say it's time for the transit system to reward them with a significant raise.

A typical station agent or train operator is paid a salary in the low $60,000 range but also collects an average of $11,000 to $16,000 in overtime, according to BART. The transit agency estimates the value of benefits - including a pension with no employee contribution and health insurance for $92 a month - at $50,000 a year.

BART plans improvements

BART says it values employee contributions but can't afford big raises because it needs to raise billions of dollars to pay for its share of needed improvements, including 1,000 new railcars, a new train maintenance facility and an upgraded train control system.

Without those, BART says, the system won't be able to maintain its 96 percent on-time service.

Commute options

As the BART strike continues, 511.org provides drive-time data and transit links. Here are some transit options for getting around the Bay Area:

Driving

Carpool lanes at the Bay Bridge toll plaza and along Interstate 80 are in effect from 5 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Casual carpools are organized at a number of locations in the East Bay for the morning commute, and two downtown San Francisco streets, Spear and Beale, have been designated as afternoon pickup spots. A partial, unofficial list of the East Bay sites can be found at www.ridenow.org/carpool.

San Francisco

Muni is prioritizing service on the 14-Mission and 49-Van Ness corridors.

North Bay

Golden Gate Larkspur Ferry is not increasing service. Golden Gate Transit says there is no additional capacity for parking or passengers.

Golden Gate Transit bus service is continuing regular service from outside El Cerrito Del Norte and Richmond BART stations on Golden Gate Transit Route 40/42. There is no added service. Riders can connect to other Golden Gate Transit bus service to and from San Francisco at the San Rafael Transit Center.

East Bay

AC Transit is running shuttles every three to five minutes during peak hours between the Transit Center at 20th Street and Broadway in downtown Oakland and the temporary Transbay Terminal in San Francisco.

BART is running limited charter bus service from the Walnut Creek, El Cerrito del Norte, Fremont and Dublin/Pleasanton stations to near the Transbay Terminal.

San Francisco Bay Ferry is running extra boats from Oakland, Alameda and Vallejo.

Both SolTrans from Solano County and WestCat from West Contra Costa County are increasing service to San Francisco.

Peninsula and South Bay

SamTrans is running a free shuttle from the Colma and Daly City BART stations to Mission Street near the Daly City-San Francisco border where riders can connect to Muni.

Capitol Corridor trains run from Santa Clara north (and from the Sacramento area south) and connect with buses at stations including Emeryville Amtrak.